Empress Miriam Simone’s Album “Amsterdam Revival” Launches February 24
by Howard Campbell
KINGSTON, Jamaica – With February celebrated as Reggae Month in Jamaica, Surinamese singer Empress Miriam Simone thought it was the perfect time to launch her first album, Amsterdam Revival, in that country.
She recorded most of the set in Jamaica late last year, working with top producers such as Bobby Digital, Sheldon “Calibud” Stewart and Everton “Caveman” Moore. It will be launched in Kingston on February 24.
Based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Empress Miriam Simone is looking forward to the event on which she will perform alongside a number of Jamaican roots acts.
“Doing a reggae album as a woman from the Diaspora lineage and African and native Indian ancestors, it fulfills my mission to present my teachings inna yard which is the home of reggae,” she said.
Already, she is promoting songs from Amsterdam Revival which will be officially released on March 3 by Zojak World Wide. They are Never Give Up, a collaboration with Sizzla, and Mother & Son, which she did alongside her son, Dammie Elijah.
According to Empress Miriam Simone, “I am looking forward to presenting that song because of the great message between me as a mother and my son.”
Amsterdam Revival is scheduled to be released in The Netherlands on May 3.
A strong cast of roots-reggae acts are down to perform at the Kingston event, including veteran session guitarist Earl “Chinna” Smith and his Binghistra group; Fred Locks, Mikey General and Fantan Mojah.
Empress Miriam Simone is originally from the Suriname capital of Paramaribo. There, she grew to appreciate the diverse sounds of Sizzla, Bob Marley, the I Three, Aretha Franklin and Mary J Blige.
It is not the first time she has worked with Digital, whose credits include a number of hit songs by Shabba Ranks, Garnet Silk, Morgan Heritage and Sizzla. He produced two songs from her 2012 EP, Follow my Dreams.
